A Blind Beggar's Courageous Faith

My Scripture reading today was Mark 10. There’s much of importance in this chapter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, that I could spend pages writing about, but what caught my attention was—

 

[When] …a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, … heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say, “Jesus, Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” Many sternly rebuked him, telling him to keep still and be quiet; but he kept on shouting out all the more, “Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call Him.” So they called the blind man, telling him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni (my Master), let me regain my sight.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road.

Mark 10:46-52 AMP

 

Here is a beggar, a blind beggar, sitting on the side of the road. Yet, nothing—not even the rebuke/intimidation of the crowd—would inhibit him from crying out to Jesus, whom he couldn’t even see. When they told him to stop, he cried out "all the more."

 

But, when Jesus called him, he took courage and even jumped up when called, throwing off his cloak—what hindered him.

 

There’s something else here. If you look back in this chapter, and even in previous chapters, you will notice that this man being blind “saw” while most of the crowd, even perhaps the disciples did not.

 

When Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, cried out to Jesus, he recognized the Lord for who He is—the Son of David, the Messiah, and called Him, “Rabboni (my Master).”

 

What an example of courageous faith!! He wouldn’t be stopped until he was able to look Jesus in the face.

 

Are we as courageous when we pray?

 

Do we let the circumstances of our lives or the people in them stop us from accessing Jesus—His presence and His power? Oh, may we throw off what hinders us, jump up and come to Him. May we tell Him plainly our heart’s desire—all because we know Jesus as “my Master.” He hears our cries for mercy.